Container made of injection-molded plastic

ABSTRACT

A container made of injection-molded plastic, having a base (1) and two end walls (3) and two side walls (2). At least the side walls (2) have a multiplicity of openings (5), which are arranged in a grid and are provided to attach additional elements (6) to the container.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a container which is made from injection-molded plastics material and which has a base and two side walls and two end walls.

Containers of this type are widespread for extremely different intended applications because injection-molded plastics material (generally comprising polyolefins) is light, durable, not sensitive to shocks, break-resistant, compatible with foodstuffs, and impermeable to liquids. They are used, for example, as baskets, buckets, storage elements for offices and living spaces, food product containers and kitchen utensils and the like. The injection-molding method allows corresponding containers to be produced with thin walls and consequently with little use of materials, wherein the containers nevertheless have good resistance. Furthermore, the injection-molding method allows a particularly rational ability for production of the container in large batches.

In order to increase the range of uses of containers of the present type, it is sometimes desirable to provide subdivisions and/or additional compartments inside the container so that extremely different objects can be stored or kept in the container. Thus, for example, compartments for the orderly, separate accommodation of small pieces, such as pins, buttons or knitting needles may be desirable in containers for storing tools and small pieces for handymen or for storing knitting or sewing materials. Subdivisions of the inner container space are also advantageous for storing magazines. Such objects were previously achieved by additional compartments or inserts which, for example, were positioned as intermediate floors on projections in the container interior or on the edge thereof. Sometimes, receiving members for compartment bases which are intended to be inserted vertically are formed in the container interior in order to be able to subdivide the container interior.

A common feature of these previous solutions is that they are each tailor-made for an intended application and consequently cannot be adapted flexibly to different intended applications.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to develop a container of the type mentioned in the introduction so that it can be adapted more flexibly than before to different intended applications, wherein the adaptation is intended to be able to be carried out by the user him/herself in situ.

This object is achieved by a container having one or more features of the invention. Preferred embodiments and developments of the container according to the invention are described below and in the claims.

A container according to the invention which comprises injection-molded plastics material and which has a base and two end walls and two side walls is accordingly produced in such a manner that at least the side walls have a large number of openings which are arranged in a grid and which are provided to fit additional elements to the container.

A container according to the invention provided with such grid-like openings can be provided with extremely different additional elements, wherein they can preferably be fitted both inside and outside the container at the grid-like openings. In this case, the grid-like arrangement affords the advantage that the additional elements, depending on the intended application, or also according to the shape of the additional elements, can be fitted at different positions to the container and this position can be changed when necessary.

In order to be able to use additional elements which are intended to subdivide the interior of the container, it is advantageous if the grid of openings corresponds at both side walls.

The flexibility of the container according to the invention is naturally greatest if not only the side walls but also the end walls and where applicable also connection regions between the side walls and the end walls, in particular bent connection regions, are provided with grid-like openings. The openings in the side walls, in the end walls and in the connection regions are preferably arranged in a continuous grid.

Plate-like elements which, for example, subdivide the content of the container or which can be written on and fitted to the outer side of the container in order to be able to label it, can be used as additional elements. Relatively small additional containers for small pieces, trays with compartments, foldable elements and boxes with covers can also be fitted as additional elements to the grid-like openings.

Particular advantages are afforded in a further development of the container according to the invention, in which at least some of the additional elements are constructed as rods and/or cords which are or can be at least partially fitted, on the one hand, to one side wall and, on the other hand, to the other side wall. Particularly cords which may comprise extremely different materials in the context of the invention and which may have tension-resistant or resilient properties may be used in a particularly flexible manner. They can subdivide in particular the interior of the container horizontally, vertically, diagonally and in a bent manner by defining between them surfaces which are planar or curved or twisted about themselves.

In this instance, there are extremely different possibilities: for example, resilient cords may form a type of cover for the container contents by, for instance, connecting together all the uppermost openings of the grid of the two side walls. The interior of the container is then secured to prevent falling out by a row of tensioned, in particular resilient, cords.

Rods acting as additional elements can form subdivisions of the inner space of the container according to the invention, which subdivisions are more stable than cords per se as a result of the lower level of movability thereof. At the same time, they can contribute to stabilizing the container overall. In any case, they can be used more flexibly than plates because rods can also define surfaces which are curved or twisted about themselves where applicable.

Cords and rods make complete use of the flexibility that the openings which are grid-like according to the invention afford the user when structuring, in particular subdividing, the inner space of a container is involved.

According to a similarly particularly preferred development of the present invention, plug type elements which comprise plastics material and which comprise a plate portion and a plug portion are provided for fitting the additional elements. The plug portion extends substantially perpendicularly away from a central plane of the plate surface of the plate portion and is provided to be inserted into the grid-like openings of the container or to be fitted through them. In this case, the plate portion has, in relation to the central plane of the plate surface thereof, a diameter or an extent which prevents the plate portion from being able to be drawn into the openings. Therefore, the diameter of the plate portion is greater than the clear diameter of the openings if these portions are constructed to be approximately round. Otherwise, the plate portion must have an extent in any case in a spatial direction which is greater in this spatial direction than the clear width of the openings so that the plug type element is supported with the plate portion thereof on container portions which are located beside the openings and cannot be pulled into the openings.

In this instance, the plug portion can be constructed in a sleeve-like manner and can be provided to receive pins of additional elements. Vice versa, the plug portion may also be constructed in a pin-like manner and may be provided for insertion in sleeves or receptacles of additional elements. Thus, a plug type system which is simple to handle and by means of which the additional elements can be fitted to the grid-like openings according to the invention and where applicable can be readily removed again is produced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of containers which are configured according to the invention are described and explained in greater detail below with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of a detail from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the embodiment from FIG. 1 in another arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a different view of the embodiment from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows the embodiment from FIG. 6 in another arrangement;

FIG. 8 shows an assembly of containers of a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container which is configured according to the invention. The container comprises a base 1 (not visible here), two side walls 2, two end walls 3 and rounded connection regions 4 between the end walls 3 and the side walls 2. The container consequently has substantially a parallelepipedal shape and is open at the top.

According to the invention the side walls 2 and the end walls 3 and the connection regions 4 are provided with a large number of openings 5 which are arranged in a grid. In this embodiment, the grid is configured over the whole area and extends over both side walls 2, both end walls 3 and all four connection regions 4. The openings 5 are therefore arranged in a continuous grid. This grid forms in this case a lattice in which the lattice lines are arranged horizontally and vertically and in which the respective nodes at which the openings 5 are located form the corners of parallelepipeds, respectively.

It may be noted at this point that the grid according to the invention of openings 5 in the context of the invention can also be selected to be completely different, for example, so that openings 5 which are arranged vertically one above the other are offset relative to each other in a horizontal direction or in that the grids are not configured over the whole area but instead cover only a portion of the walls.

Approximately centrally, the inner space of the container which is illustrated in FIG. 1 is divided into two regions by a vertically arranged row of additional elements 6, wherein these additional elements 6 are configured in the present case as rods which extend from a side wall 2 to the opposing side wall and which are fixed to both side walls with a plug type connection. Both the additional elements 6 which are configured as rods and the container per se are injection-molded components comprising polypropylene.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section with reference to a detail from FIG. 1, showing how the additional elements 6 configured as rods are fixed to the side walls 2. To this end, the rods expand in an end region to form sleeves 7, in which plug type elements 8 can be received.

Such a plug type element 8 comprises a plate portion 9 and a plug portion 10. In this case, the plate portion is configured to be planar and circular and the plug portion 10 extends perpendicularly to the plate surface which is formed by the plate portion 9. The plug portion 10 has a cylindrical shape, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the openings 5 which are also configured to be circular here. The plate portion 9 has a substantially greater diameter than the openings 5. The plug type element 8 can be fitted through an opening 5 and can be inserted into the sleeve 7 of the rod or the additional element 6, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this case, the plate portion 9 abuts the side wall 2 and prevents the plug type element 8 from being able to be drawn through the opening 5.

The plug type element 8 is also preferably produced with the injection-molding method from plastics material, advantageously from the same material as the additional elements 6. In order to produce higher friction between the mutually connected components, that is to say, the plug portion 10 of the plug type element 8 and the sleeve 7 of the additional element 6, the plug type element 8 can alternatively also comprise, for example, a softly resilient or resilient plastics material.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment which is already illustrated per se in FIG. 1. This illustration shows particularly clearly how the additional elements 6 are fixed to the side walls 2 with plug type elements 8 which are inserted from the outer side. Simply by pulling out the plug type elements 8, the additional elements 6 can be removed and optionally moved to another position.

In addition to the vertical row of additional elements 6 which are configured as rods, in this instance a horizontal row of such rods is also formed, whereby the half of the inner container space illustrated on the right in FIG. 3 is divided into individual compartments in order, for example, to place file cards or the like in an ordered manner. If the horizontal row of additional elements 6 comprises resilient material, this row can also perform the function of a cover and prevent articles which have been introduced into the container interior by resilient deformation of the additional elements 6 from readily falling out again if the container is tipped.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a container according to the invention which differs from the first embodiment as a result of the additional elements 6. In this case, these elements are configured as small additional containers which are provided at an outer side with pins (not visible here) which are adapted to the grid of the openings 5 and which can be inserted therein.

FIG. 5 is a view of this container from a different perspective. This illustration shows that the additional elements 6 which are formed as small additional containers are each provided with six pins which here are secured by plug type elements 8 which again have a plate portion and a plug portion (not visible here), wherein the plug portion is configured in this case, however, as a sleeve for receiving a pin of an additional element 6.

It can immediately be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the additional elements 6 can be fitted practically at any location of the side walls 2 and end walls 3 of the container.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an additional embodiment of a container according to the invention, wherein this embodiment again differs only as a result of yet another additional element 6. Here, a tray with compartments which, on the one hand, has a pivot axis 11 and which, on the other hand, is positioned on a rod-like additional element 6 which extends between the two side walls 2 is involved. The pivot axis 11 is formed by two sleeve-like receptacles in the tray, in which a stud-like plug portion 10 (not visible) of a plug type element 8 engages in a rotatable manner.

Both the position of the pivot axis 11 and the position of the rod-like additional element 6 are variable in the grid of the openings 5, as shown in FIG. 7 by way of example.

Finally, FIG. 8 illustrates, again as a perspective illustration, an additional embodiment which again differs from the preceding embodiments as a result of the selection of the additional element 6. Here, the additional element 6 is configured as a plate element which can be written on and which can be fitted by means of the grid-like openings 5 at different positions to the container, again as a result of plug type elements 8 (not visible here).

This embodiment involves an assembly of containers which are configured according to the invention and which have different dimensions, but an identical grid of openings 5. This allows the use of all the additional elements 6, in this instance particularly the plate element which can be written on, at all the containers of different sizes. Such additional elements may also be connection elements with which two or more containers can be fixed to each other.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a container which is configured according to the invention as a perspective view. The container again comprises a base, two side walls 2 and two end walls 3 and rounded connection regions 4 between the end walls 3 and the side walls 2, as is already the case in the preceding embodiments.

The additional elements 6 which are fixed at the openings 5 which are arranged in a grid-like manner according to the invention comprise in the present embodiment cords so that here a particularly flexible partial covering of the container is produced. It is evident that these cords can be moved by the user of the container him/herself into different positions. In this case, even only one cord which runs back and forth between the opposing side walls 2 in the grid of the openings 5 is involved.

A variant of this embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 10. Here, the additional elements 6 which are configured as a cord are fixed to the openings 5 so that they run over the upper edges of the side walls 2. Strictly speaking, only one cord which is guided alternately through openings 5 in the two side walls 2 is involved here again.

Another variant is illustrated in FIG. 11: here, the additional elements which are again configured as cords or as an alternately fixed cord are arranged vertically so that the inner space of the container is subdivided into two vertical compartments.

Another variant of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 12. In this instance, the additional elements 6 are also again formed by a cord which runs alternately through the openings 5 in the two side walls 2. A particular characteristic is that this cord forms not only a single vertical barrier for subdividing the inner container space, but a double barrier because two vertical rows of openings 5 are occupied with cords or additional elements 6. It can also be seen here that the cords do not necessarily have to be guided in precisely opposing openings 5 of the side walls 2, but can also extend obliquely or diagonally, which advantageously increases the variability of the container.

FIG. 13 shows that additional elements 6 of the container according to the invention, particularly if they are formed by cords as here, can not only be used to subdivide the inner space of the container, but can also perform decorative tasks in order to individualize the exterior of the container.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show this using two additional examples; here, the additional elements which are formed by cords are fitted purely in a decorative manner to the openings 5, which are arranged in a grid-like manner according to the invention, of the side wall 2 or end wall 3.

Finally, FIG. 16 shows an example, in which the additional element 6 which is formed from a single cord combines both functional and decorative properties.

The described embodiments illustrate that the containers according to the invention can be used in an extremely flexible manner as a result of the grid-like openings, wherein an adaptation to different intended applications can be carried out by the user him/herself in situ. Furthermore, a module system comprising a plurality of containers with in particular different dimensions and different additional elements can be formed and can be adapted to the extremely different intended applications as a result of an identical grid arrangement of the large number of openings according to the invention. 

1. A container, comprising: a base (1), two end walls (3) and two side walls (2) made from injection molded plastic, a large number of openings (5) defined in at least the side walls (2), the openings being arranged in a grid and being configured to connect additional elements (6) to the container.
 2. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grid of the openings (5) on one of the side walls corresponds to the grid of the openings in the other of the side walls side walls (2).
 3. The container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a large number of openings (5) defined in the end walls (3) which are arranged in a grid.
 4. The container as claimed in claim 3, further comprising connection regions (4) between the side walls (2) and the end walls (3), and openings (5) are defined in the connection regions (4) which are arranged in a grid.
 5. The container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the openings (5) in the side walls (2), in the end walls (3) and in the connection regions (4) are arranged in a continuous grid.
 6. The container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising additional elements (6) which are fittable to the openings (5) inside or outside of the container.
 7. The container as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least some of the additional elements (6) are constructed as at least one of rods or cords which are at least partially fitted to one side wall (2) and to the other side wall (2).
 8. The container as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least some of the additional elements (6) comprise a plate-shaped element which is configured to receive writing.
 9. The container as claimed in claim 8, wherein a position of the additional elements (6) is variable by the elements being removable from one said opening (5) or a group of the openings (5) and being able to be fitted to a different one of the openings (5) or a different group of the openings (5).
 10. The container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising plug type elements (8) which comprise plastics material and which comprise a plate portion (9), a diameter or extent of the plate portion is greater than a clear diameter or clear width of the openings (5) in relation to a central plane of a plate surface, and a plug portion (10) which extends from the plate portion (9) substantially perpendicularly away from the central plane of the plate surface and an extent of which allows at least one of insertion in or engagement through the openings (5).
 11. The container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plug portion (10) is sleeve-shaped and is provided to receive pins of additional elements (6).
 12. A system comprising a plurality of containers as claimed in claim 1, wherein all of the containers have grid dimensions for the openings (5) that are the same.
 13. The container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plug portion (10) is pin-shaped and is provided for insertion in sleeves or receptacles of additional elements (6).
 14. The container as claimed in claim 7, wherein a position of the additional elements (6) is variable by the elements being removable from one said opening (5) or a group of the openings (5) and being able to be fitted to a different one of the openings (5) or a different group of the openings (5). 